Arctic Awakening is a game I’d had on my radar from the trailer during the Future Games Show of June 2022. A narrative adventure within the Arctic by GoldFire Studios, you play as Kai, a pilot helping survivors by delivering supplies until a storm rips apart the plane and strands him and his two companions in this frozen landscape. As part of Tiny Teams, I have been given a code by Yogscast Games to offer my thoughts on Arctic Awakening.
Somewhere over Alaska in April 2062, pilot Kai, his old-time friend Donovan, and the drone robot Alfie are on a job to help some survivors. In this world, it seems the seas are flooding, with the two being survivors of that themselves. The two humans also seem to have a history with each other, having both been in service as pilots during a past war. Alfie has been assigned to Kai to help him overcome the mental effects he faces from that war.
Across this demo, all that is discovered. Multiple choices are present throughout, with certain dialogue choices revealing a bit of the story than others. In fact, most choices affect how this story plays out in small ways. In one play of the demo I’d been kind to Alfie, so when the time came he instantly helped. On another, I’d called him useless, so at that same point, Alfie made a jibe that he would stay put as he was useless. He still did help, but it was a fun exchange that made it feel like choices mattered even if the effect of them was small.
For the main plot we get in the demo, the three are on a plane during a storm to help some survivors. That storm gets too much, shorting out the electronics. The tail then gets ripped from the plane. Donovan bails while Kai tries to land. Upon crashing, he passes out. Waking up, he and Alfie work together to survive the first night, assessing the damage to the plane and starting a fire.
The next day, with Donovan unable to move owing to a broken leg, Kai and Alfie set off to find him following what little information Donovan was able to give them and finding… some sort of facility. The demo ends when you enter its border. Whoever owns the facility knows there are people here, as during that first night, something had been investigating the crash site.
The controls are easy to understand, with prompts appearing to let you know what sort of actions you can perform. Hover the reticule over a branch, it will show you how to pick it up. Come to a ledge, it will show you what you need to press to drop down. During those dialogue choices, each option is represented by the button you press to say it. The only thing it doesn’t prompt you with is that you can jog to speed up the movement pace.
It’s a testament to the game’s systems that, despite the demo being short, I was invested in seeing it through multiple times. Experimenting with the dialogue options, enjoying the writing in general and, as said, how those choices affect the story in small ways. The writing is fun, with all three displaying their unique characteristics in conversation. Kai is closed to the world, interacting and revealing only as much as he needs to. Donovan is more laid back, hiding any fear he might display through jokes and optimism. Alfie is direct, though caring. And knows how to deliver some deadpan humour.
The world does a good job of being isolating, even when the storm disappears after the first night. There are snow and trees and… not much else aside from a lot of elevation change. Mountainous terrain surrounds you, with just one way to progress. Down. And potentially back up, depending on where this story takes us. Already the mystery is set, finding out what lives here in this frozen wilderness, and why. This introduction is done right, giving you a simple objective that then looks to become a lot more… involved.
For me, I want to carry this story on. Admittedly I was lost at first, being oblivious to the obvious when it came to starting that fire. But I sure did enjoy it when I finally realised what I had missed. If you enjoy adventure narratives, I can absolutely recommend giving the demo a go. And if, like me, you want to go through the demo again to experiment with the dialogue options, hard quit out. Just starting again from the menu leaves you with all the inventory you had on the first playthrough, which will confuse the game to the point you can’t light that fire.
The Tiny Teams Festival is running until 10/August-2023. Thanks to Yogscast Games, I have been given codes for several games that are featured during the festival this year. Across this month, I will be either reviewing or sharing experiences of these games. Despite being given codes, the thoughts I offer are purely my own and not influenced by the generosity of Yogscast Games.
Images Taken From:
Arctic Awakening | PC
